@pratel I think I said there's no beating an AR except with a fancier AR. there are tons of options and customizations but which you choose will depend on what you are trying to achieve and what your personal preferences are. the possible configurations are endless, which is a big part of the reason why ARs are so dominant.

the 'meme' he was referring to would be guys dumping thousands of dollars into a rifle for marginal or non-existent improvement in functionality.

Oh, so like people do when they build desktops and spend hundreds on lights.

So what do you think is worth having on a rifle for the apocalypse?

well, i severely doubt you are going to be getting into any pitched battles (that you would survive), and I severely doubt you are going to be performing any sort of assault upon a defended location. mostly a rifle in a SHTF situation is for personal defense. shooting a lone bad guy that surprises you, or suppressing a group you stumble across so you can run away.

therefore sustained fire and long range fire are not particularly important. heavy profile barrels are therefore unnecessary weight.

speaking of unnecessary weight, since you're going to be carrying this thing and rarely (if ever) using it, keeping it light is important. you want to keep the amount of shit you have hanging off it to a minimum.

if you can afford to purchase a decent rugged optic, then you may as well use it. most militaries these days use optics by default and iron sights are kept only as a backup (if kept at all).

optics are a place where you don't want to cheap out though. there are cheap chinese clones that lack durability. scratched lenses and moisture seepage are problems.

i've seen scratched ACOGs but i've never seen a scratched ELCAN.

not saying ACOGs aren't good, but just passing on my experience.

you don't want anything that needs batteries, especially CR123 batteries.

by law the minimum barrel length you can have without registering the rifle as a SBR is 16". you can have a carbine gas system, a midlength gas system, or a dissipator gas system. i think midlength is the most popular these days. gives you a bit more real estate on your quad rail (if you choose to have one).

another thing to consider is if you want a traditional direct gas impingement system, or a pistol system.

personally i don't think there's anything wrong with direct gas impingement because i keep my rifles clean and carry an oil bottle.

it's lighter, simpler, and i don't have to worry about finding specialized parts if something breaks. i also think the reliability issue is way, way overblown. unless you're doing mag dump after mag dump in full auto you don't really have to worry about it. you are not going to be able to lug around enough ammunition to get a DI AR dirty enough to have malfunctions.

if you don't intend to have back-up iron sights (BUIS) then you don't need a front sight on the gas block. that's a tiny weight savings. if you don't intend to have a light or forward grip, you don't need a fancy railed handguard or keymod. that's potentially more weight savings. military uses railed handguards because they need a place to mount a laser. you don't.

The furniture is ugly as shit but this would be a good choice IMO
https://danieldefense.com/firearms/gas-system/mid-length/daniel-defense-m4-carbine-v11-slw.html

**Forgotten Weapons** Uploaded a new youtube video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkQsKL-dbMM

For a completely different take, consider watching this series of videos:
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI5NPiicXjE>

https://wreg.com/2018/10/02/sources-350-guns-stolen-in-memphis-intercepted-on-way-to-chicago/

"All of the weapons were either .22 caliber or .380 caliber firearms, authorities said."

and they wonder how these cities with such high gun control get their guns.

"its the surrounding states selling them legally"
"...or one u-haul of stolen guns"

lol

"shall we make theft illegal now too?"

if you buy an AR, make sure it's free floated

As long as it's not bottom of the barrel barrel; you'll be fine

my suggestion is RRA

or BCM

or spikes

You could go with a spikes completed lower then buy a free floated complete upper, too

im going to get one of the HK series of ARs

y

its closest to what I've used

so my familiarity is high with it

super thick barrels

9lb guns

meaningless gas piston

Pseudo-DI > Pistons

again. I'd rather use what I know than familiarize myself with an AR with different quirks